Another bank robbed in Thousand Oaks

A lightning-fast response by deputies to a 911 call of a bank robbery in progress at the World Savings Bank in Thousand Oaks wasn't fast enough.

At 11:55 a.m. Sat., Nov. 18, the call came in. Less than three minutes later, patrol deputies arrived at the World Savings Bank at 1596 N. Moorpark Road. But the armed white male who had ordered two tellers to put money

in a black bag had already departed the scene on a black motorcycle, helmet in place.

On Nov. 8, a similar crime occurred at the Washington Mutual branch on Hillcrest Drive, where a robber, also wearing a motorcycle helmet, entered the bank with a handgun and robbed tellers of an undisclosed amount of money. Earlier that day, a robber wearing sunglasses had robbed the Bank of the West on Moorpark Road, escaping in a Honda sedan.

"It is a likely possibility it is the same individual in at least two of the robberies," Capt. Ron Nelson said.

Both motorcycles used in the robberies had been stolen.

The bike used in the Nov. 8 robbery didn't start when the robber went outside to make his getaway. He ran on foot, leaving his helmet behind, Nelson said.

In Saturday's World Savings Bank holdup, the motorcycle didn't fail to start. It was found abandoned not far away, in the 1700 block of Orinda Court, Nelson said.

Bank security cameras captured the robber's image, according to a department report. He's described as 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall with a medium build.

In a bank robbery, the FBI comes in and heads the investigation, Nelson said.

"The FBI solves more than 90 percent of bank robberies and when they are caught they go to jail for a long, long time," Nelson said.

Though the amount of cash taken is usually not disclosed, it's typically around $2,500, Nelson said.

That's a relatively low amount of money, considering how steep the penalty is and the likehood of being captured, he said.

-Nancy Needham